"Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live." ~Norman Cousins
Prologue
I turned 18 today. Guess this is not the way everyone wants to spend their birthday, but really... the company is good and the bright lights aren't so bad. They're actually quite comforting. It's hard to say much but...
"Momma, where's daddy?"
I heard her let out a quiet sob... then long silence, and finally, a man's voice, "Son, I'm right here." I feel his coarse hand touch my cold arm, and with one last breath...
"I loved you."
Another man's voice came to my ears... it was like music. "You're fine now, my child. Your struggle is over." It wasn't my daddy, but the voice was just as comforting. I wanted the man to know my story.
"All my life, I wanted my daddy to be with me. I wanted him to be proud of me. I did my best in school—my daddy wasn't there. School didn't seem important, so I stopped trying.
"I played football. It was my daddy's favorite sport. He wasn't there, so I stopped playing. 4
"My life didn't seem important to him, so it was no longer important to me.
"These other boys said I was important to them; I felt I had purpose in life again. They told me it'd be okay, so I helped them sell things.
"One day, I went out to sell something, and this other boy had his daddy's gun...
"I got to see my daddy after that. It was the happiest moment of my life, and now...
"...Lord, where was my daddy?"
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